Dawn came in the rays of light peeking from the horizon, lightening the black sky. It came in the birds singing their morning songs. In the crowing of a rooster and the persistent ringing of an alarm clock.

But this time, dawn came in a pile of bodies strewn across Half Blood Hill, staining the grass with pools of crimson blood.

Nick woke to a world of hurt.

If body parts could talk, his would all scream. Grass that usually tickled the soles of his feet poked hard like needles into his flesh, stinging at the open wounds. His cheek pressed against the dirt. Something hot and sticky ran down the bridge of his nose. He wanted to wipe it off but his arms were lifeless against the ground, and he found that he could not move, not even twitch. Pain numbed him enough to keep him still. His eyes however, were open a fraction, but for all that he saw they might have been closed.

Help.

But as soon as Nick thought the word, darkness came once more to swallow him whole.

Ashton was speechless. She'd never left camp, not since arriving over a year ago. Not even to make a quick trip to the city. Her world inside the walls of camp was safe. She was a new Ashton. Outside—she remembered what life had been like before camp—outside was something else. Still, she had never been one for being held back, and the city called to her. Of course the one morning she had given in to her almost chronic curiosity, she walked into a sea of blood. For a moment Ashton was too startled to speak. She wasn't afraid of blood. She'd lived in downtown Los Angeles and attended a school with more funerals than graduations (on account of both drop out rates and gang violence) but this. This was something else. Ashton couldn't make a sound as she scrambled backwards, trying to make sense of all the blood and gore. Her eyes darted around for other campers, monsters, anything."Oh my gods," Ashton moaned. Why did she have to be the one to stumble upon the mess? What was she supposed to do? Ashton could never even clean up after her own messes, how was she supposed to take care of this one? "Someone help!" she yelled in the direction of camp, down the hill. "Someone please.."

Aaliyah never liked pain, and the amount of pain she was in right now was to worst. Her body was stinging and throbbing all over. She could barely tell which place hurt more than the other. She tried to open her eyes, but one was swollen shut. There were cuts running up and down her arms and legs. She could feel blood dripping onto the grass from the large cut on her side. Her hair was sticky with blood, hers or someone else's she wasn't exactly sure. The first thought that seemed to run into her head over and over again was, What happened?" She would've thought if something this bad happened, she would've known the cause of it.

She tried to sit up even though her body screamed in protest. Aaliyah could see the familiar outlines of cabins. She was still trying to sit up when she saw a girl around her age stumble upon the bloody mess of campers. Aaliyah could barely make out the girl's features with her one eye right now. She tried to say something, anything, but her mouth was dry and her lips were cracked. She looked around her for brief moment at the other demigods surrounding her before her body collapsed back onto the ground in exhaustion. She'd never seen any of these people before in her life, but they looked just as bad as her. Aaliyah could only whisper hoarsely, "Help..."

Faye McJean| Faye enjoyed a handful of things in life. Guard duty was not one of those things. It often involved hours of pacing between zones, staring at shadows, and nearly starving when you forgot to bring snacks. The demigod always chose the same shift, and normally nothing happened. Today was not meant to be a normal day. She suddenly heard cries from the hill and ran without a second thought, thinking to herself "I scanned that five minutes ago." What could happen in five minutes?

Faye could smell the blood before she saw it. The metallic scent brought her back to two summers ago, when she fought for the lives of her siblings against an army of the undead. She hadn't seen this much blood since that day. At least it was red.

Being a daughter of wisdom, she first assessed the situation. Bodies, most in and out of consciousness. Lone girl, not bleeding, probably the one that cried for help. "We need to get these people to the infirmary," Faye stated, walking towards the girl, Ashton, if she remembered correctly. "This blood can't all be theirs," she muttered, mostly to herself. "Go on and grab some people, quick. I can stay with them."And hope they're alive.

Ashton sighed heavily when a girl, Faye, answered her call. "There's so many bodies," Ashton whispered aggressively, frustrated that she had no idea what was going on. The presence of someone else eased her out of her stupor, though, and Ashton began thinking somewhat clearly. "Make sure if any of them wake up, they stay down. I don't know about you, but I can't identify their injuries. This is all too extensive." Ashton nodded to Faye, hoping they had an understanding. She could feel a strain in her gut and hoped it wasn't her "death instinct." "I'll go make an announcement."Ashton trotted down the hill without saying anything more. She trusted Faye to watch over everyone much more than she trusted herself. Ashton wanted to help, but she wasn't good at looking after anyone. She was barely able to look after herself. She reached the Great House in what felt like mere seconds and was able to deliver her message. Halfblood Hill needed aid. It was a code red.

coded by sapphire

brush off the dirt and

LET MY CHANGE OF HEART OCCUR

June was no stranger to waking up in strange places with little to no recollection of the preceding night, however the immense and blinding pain was new. June had been having a bad couple of months, reverting more and more to a life of wallowing in her own self pity whilst simultaneously attempting to drink away her whole identity. It wasn't unusual for the girl to find herself having passed out in the courtyard, or placed in the bed of a stranger whom had been brave enough to rescue her from one her nightly outings. Never before had she found herself covered in blood and gashes the next morning, but she honestly wasn't surprised. That was about the kind of luck she'd been having since her best—only—friend, Caleb, passed. June was in so much pain she could hardly feel anything at all. Her lungs struggled to suck in air and she began wiggling her toes and fingers, testing her movement in her legs, trying to bring her hand up to her face to feel for scratches. It was when she heard voices that she attempted to sit up. Halfway into an upright position, she felt her stomach seize and immediately rolled to her hands and knees. Coughing, she began spitting out blood. Her eyes grew panicked as, for the first time in a long time, June felt afraid. She didn't want to die. June was not one to ask for help, or even willingly accept it, especially from strangers, so when she was able to fall back onto her back, the girl kept silent as she listened to those around her talk. It sounded like people had found her. Her vision was blurred as she tried to turn her head. The small movement was exhausting, but she was able to make out the form of several other bodies scattered on the ground to her left. When she heard footsteps running away, the daughter of Ares spoke. "Is anyone still here?" she called roughly, her voice sounding weaker and needier than she would ever admit to it being.

Faye McJean| Centuries of mental training could never prepare a person for a sight like this. The blood wasn't even soaking into the earth, it just sat there, lifeless. Half Blood Hill had turned from a welcoming landmark to a dumping ground in a matter of minutes. "Okay," Faye responded, nodding towards Ashton. "Bring back as many as you can!" she called after the girl's fleeing form.

Inhale. Exhale. Problem Solve.

Faye was about to check for pulses and breathing on the teenagers when she heard a familiar voice. "June!" she whispered, stepping over limbs to reach the daughter of Ares. "It's me, Faye. Ashton is calling for help. You're going to be okay," the demigod said softly, kneeling next to the bleeding girl. Blood was beginning to stain her jeans as she scanned her friend (was June a friend?) for deadly injuries. There was so much blood. Inhale. Exhale. Problem Solve.

"June, I can't stay by you, but don't move. I'm going to check other people out. I'll come back soon," Faye said slowly, rising back to her feet. Without waiting for a reply she went to scan other bodies, such as that of a sixteen year old boy and a red haired girl. They all seemed alive, but at what cost?

Being new to this whole... Demigod thing, Cirilla was still getting used to the goings on around camp. However, the British teen was fairly sure that a massive pile of bodies was not normal around here. Especially given the way people seemed to be worrying about said bodies. Rushing over, the girl frantically turned her attention between the girl kneeling near them all... and the poor souls. Her eyes went wide from the way their wounds seemed to cover their bodies, painting the ground an ugly shade of red. "W-what happened? Can I help in some way?!" the girl demanded of the other who seemed to be uninjured in all of this. What the hell had happened here?

Trevinter Hyuzu | Camp Half-Blood | Gates of HellPain.

The one truth of Trevinter's life right now. The only thing he could be sure of as he swam through the thick liquid blocking his path to consciousness. Warm liquid ran all over his aching body, making him wonder where he was. Opening his eyes, the boy saw a harsh light in his aching body as he looked at the ot- wait, they were wounded like he was, and not moving. Oh Gods, a-am I in a pile of corpses!? he though be began struggling to move. Panic setting in as he thought of the possible implications, was he dying? Would he ever see his mother again? Was he going to die? "H-h-help me! Oh Gods somebody!" the boy screamed, his voice cracking in panic as he tried to force himself out from the pile of others. Only to be stopped by the presence of another, putting her hands on his shoulders and fixing him with a determined stare.

"Don't move, you're injured. Badly. Focus on me, relax. There are people here who will help you. Everything will be alright, okay? Just calm down." she spoke in a comforting tone, with an accent he couldn't exactly identify at the moment. With wild eyes locked on the girl, the boy began to take deep breaths to try to force his panic away. He wouldn't die here... he wouldn't die.

Scent. It hit him hard, filling his nostrils with nothing but its metallic stink, overpowering the pleasant smell of fresh grass and earth. Blood.

Sounds. First they were soft, faraway. Muffled, as though he had put on his earphones and the music was nothing but the ringing silence. When the ringing started to fade, he realized the sounds for what they were. Voices. A girl's voice, loud and commanding yet somehow familiar. Groans coming from his left. Another girl, sharp and demanding, perhaps in a panic? They grew louder as his hearing cleared, until he could realize that the labored breaths he heard were coming from his own mouth.

Jonathan opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was red grass. In front of him lay another body with its back to him. The stained shirt was hiked up, exposing cuts on the lower back, with streaks of red running down to the ground.

Overwhelmed, Jonathan tried to get up, to reach out, to help. But blinding pain shot through his arm the moment he tried to move. He scrunched his face and clenched his jaw, biting his tongue to distract from the larger pain. With great effort he pushed himself up, but as soon as his arms were straight against the ground they gave way and he toppled down with a thud, right into the grass damp with his own blood.

As he lay there, pain coming everywhere, Jonathan wondered - what kind of hell was he thrust into this time?

❝I have stood here before inside the pouring rain With the world turning circles running 'round my brain. I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign But it's my destiny to be the king of pain.❞

jasper lays perfectly still, a pool of blood flowing beneath him- whether or not it's his own he isn't quite sure. he's not sure of a lot of things actually, especially how he got there. or who he is for that matter. he can remember bits and pieces of different memories but nothing that seems concrete. it's almost as if he's dreaming and he'll wake up and everything will be normal.

but he's positive he's not dreaming, because he can feel himself slowly start to regain the feeling in his body. squeezing his eyes shut, he concentrates on moving his foot. eventually he opens his eyes and strains his neck to see his foot. however he's shocked to find that it's not moving at all, which he is having a hard time believing since it feels like it's moving. "come on"he hisses as he puts all of his strength into moving his foot. and after what feels like an eternity his foot twitches.

it's not much but the twitch is enough to tell him that he's obviously not dead, which considering how he feels is a pretty good thing. but at the same time he has absolutely no idea what that means, is he hung over? he's experimented with plenty of narcotics so he wouldn't be that surprised if this was some side affect of his late night. but that wouldn't explain the blood, or the people standing over him shouting.

or at least he assumes they're shouting, he can't quite hear everything that's coming out of their mouths. by the time the words reach his ears it's like he's underwater. he can't tell if the voices are coming from the people who discovered him or the others next to him.

gritting his teeth he squeezes his eyes shut as he forces himself to slowly and painfully sit up. he lets out a loud groan as he looks around, his eyes quickly scanning the mass of bodies scattered around him. "what happened?"he croaks before slumping backwards. he's still conscious he just lost any ability to stay upright. jasper forces himself to turn his head to the side, his eyes landing on a brunette (June) laying next to him. "i'm here"he says with a weak smile, "im afraid i won't be much help, but i can keep you company?"he offers as he lets out a small sigh.

Faye McJean| Faye hadn't even gotten a count on the injured campers. She couldn't even identify all of the teenagers, which terrified the girl. She knew so many faces at camp, but what if some of these demigods had yet to experience camp? How do you put a positive spin on nearly being slain like a pig for slaughter? Doubts such as these stormed through her thoughts as she went from person to person, making sure each was breathing and had a pulse. The longer she stayed there on that hellishly painted hill, the more campers became conscious.

"Yes, please try to keep them lying down, I don't know how serious their injuries are," Faye called to the blond girl who arrived. Out of the corner of her grey eye she saw someone trying to sit up. Her mouth opened, but before a sound could come out the boy had slipped back into his own blood pool. She rushed over, instantly recognizing the figure. "Johnathan? I don't know if you remember me, I'm Faye McJean from cabin six." Gently laying a hand on his shoulder she attempted to roll him on his back. "Gurneys are on the way, just keep still. I'll come back soon," she said softly, before seeing someone else rise from the newly formed sea of red.

"Gods, please grant me the patience to play nurse for a few more minutes," she thought to herself, splashing blood as she jogged over to another male demigod (Jasper). "Hi, my name is Faye McJean. I know you're probably in a lot of pain right now, so stay lying down. Help is on the way," she said, awkwardly looming over his figure.

It was night, the time Alayna loved to go in a walk for. It was nice and dark, cold, and no one was really out. She walked with Lion by her side. Alayna walked and she took a deep breath and she smiled. She head to the forest until she felt something wrong. She heard screams and she felt as if death was calling her name. Alayna looked to the entrance to camp, there the screams, she feeling of death ready to take others. Alayna started heading over to the scene. As she got closer she looked at Lion and he disappeared. She took a few steps closer and she saw the bodies and blood.

She gasped putting her hand over her mouth. So many kids, and blood, a lot of it. There was no way that was all of theirs. Alayna watched as a boy tried getting up. She was going to help, so without asking she walked over to him but was to late and he fell. She walked a bit faster and looked at him "Stay down, we're going to get you some help." she said kneeling next to him. Faye then came over to him and she looked at Faye and nodded "I can watch him and the others. To make sure they stay down." she told her.Outfit

June wanted to let out a broken sob when she heard a voice she recognized, Faye. For a moment, June forgot the fact that lying broken and helpless on the wet, bloody ground was immensely degrading and tried to smile. Her and Faye had their disputes, mostly because their cabins were for whatever reason typically pitted against each other as rivals, but June didn't have many people left at camp that she trusted. Faye was definitely someone she trusted. "Faye.. Faye, you don't suck at all, just so you know."The daughter of Ares was terrified. She had sought death for a while, but when it was finally staring her in the face, she felt paralyzed with fear. Her life's purpose had become living for her friend who could not. If she died, who was left to carry on their memory? What purpose would her life have had? June's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the voice of a boy laying next to her. She had been on the verge of tears before being startled into conversation. Instantly she regained her composure. She was a Cabin Leader. She needed to be strong. Hell, she was June Prenston. This? This was nothing. "Thanks," June replied to Jasper confidently, although her voice broke and she was thrown into another coughing fit. More blood. "Hey, I bet the other guy looks way worse," June tried to joke. She pretended to laugh, but it turned into a small sob as she gasped for breath. The sound of Faye's voice comforted her as she closed her eyes. Faye would take care of her. Faye wouldn't let her die.

coded by sapphire

my eyes are black and red

IM CRAWLING BACK TO YOU BABE

Ashton exited the infirmary at a near sprint. She had been running all across camp in an attempt to gather enough campers to properly aide the demigods on the hill. Her lungs burned and her legs pounded against the gravel as she lead others to the site of the disaster. "I left Faye with everyone," Ashton explained as she ran. "Faye is looking out. I called for help back on the hill, too. There should be others." Ashton was so terrified, she was running on pure adrenaline as she bounded up the hill. The daughter of Hades was relieved to find more help had arrived in her absence, even excluding those who had come with her, and she turned towards the injured campers. Internally, Ashton rejoiced at the sight of many of them coming to and shifting uneasily. Was everyone alive? Like.. everyone on the hill had made it?"Everyone stay laying where you are," Ashton begged as she motioned for her help to begin taking action. "Please don't move. You've got help." With that, Ashton collapsed onto her butt, panting madly from exhaustion. She wasn't in poor shape, but she wasn't exactly fit either, and she had been running every which way since leaving the hill. As she caught her breath, Ashton reached over to the body laying next to her and rested a gentle hand on their chest. "You're going to make it," she whispered, just loud enough so the person next to her could hear. The tugging in her gut had subsided and Ashton felt sure of herself as she stood up to begin help again. "Honest."

Jonathan tried to nod at the girl (Alayna) but the simple motion made his head swim. Another girl came, bearing the familiar voice he had heard in his half-conscious state - Faye, former cabin leader of Athena. He let himself be rolled so that he faced the sky, now turning a soothing blue as though it was an ordinary day. He listened to Faye, drinking in the familiarity of it all. Reality dawned on him.

Faye. Oh gods. That meant he was in camp.

Ronnie.

~*~*~

Circling around the Big House, Charles was just about ready to finish his morning trek on horseback when he heard the call. Code red. Half Blood Hill needs aid. Chills running down his spine, he urged Rowan into a gallop up the hill until he found it - a literal code red. His stomach churned.

Bodies were littered around the ground as if they were trash. Some tried to get up. The others still lay motionless in that scary sea of red. Three girls stood by, seeming to console them until help came.

Charles stayed frozen, speechless. He was but one boy. He couldn't get them all to safety on his own.

"I'll be back," he shouted to any who would listen, turning Rowan around and galloping as fast as he could to the infirmary. He passed a running girl (Ashton) explaining to the others what was found. As he scanned the demigods gathering he realized something missing - no one had brought stretchers. Perhaps there were healers somewhere in the crowd, but they would certainly need something to transport the bodies to safety.

Once he arrived at the infirmary, he got down the horse and threw the doors open. He saw a handful of people, not surprising given the early hour, and he didn't care if they were Apollo kids or not. Frankly, they needed all the help they can get.

"Code red in Half Blood Hill! We need stretchers! Bring as many as you can! Hurry!"

just as drake was sure that he was going to spend his day staring at the wall and listening to music, he started hearing frantic shouting coming from outside the cabins. after letting his curiosity get the better of him, he jumped out of bed and pulled the curtains back to find campers start to leave their cabins and head towards the hill, some moving slowly and with fear and others running as quick as they could. it took him all of two minutes to find a pair of sweatpants and a shirt before he too was leaving to investigate.

he didn't start running until he heard a girl and a boy shouting about bodies on the hill. it didn't take him long to push past the campers that were moving too cautiously and he was bounding up the grass. when he got there, he wished that he'd just ignored it all and stayed in bed - the blood was bright and bold and overwhelming. for a minute, he was a boy again, seeing the same blood spurting from his mother. but then with a shake of his head he snapped out of it, he wide eyes darting around and his hands starting to shake. he needed to chill. he didn't see any of his half-brothers or sisters, but a lot of faces he recognized from people around camp, and he knew that he should've made an effort to learn people's names for this type of situation.

where was he meant to start? he knelt down next to the first person he was closest to - he really didn't want to go wading through all the blood. it might make him sick, or worse - and didn't like how the boy (Nick) didn't seem as alive as some of the others here. "dude...hey!" he didn't want to be too rough, but he was also scared that this guy might be dead, so he started to shake him. "please don't be dead...crap...you're okay, bro, just hold out okay." he used his sleeve to dry and wipe some of the blood away from the boy's face, but there was just too much. he gagged, "what the hell has happened?"

She was helping a small group of her siblings carry boxes into the infirmary to restock, when it happened. Arms filled with boxes of gauze and rolls of bandages -- untrusted as she was with the delicate assorted bottles like those of the morphine, lest she trip or drop them -- Ronnie was engaged in happy conversation, something about an embarrassing moment in the mess hall that had her laughing loudly, genuinely, and completely oblivious to the first few moments of the events atop half blood hill.

Only those first moments, though.

The girls (Ashton's) arrival, and hurried announcement, had an immediate effect on the Apollo campers inside, who had previously only been concerned with where everything went. Unlike the healer's, who responded calmly, gathering first aid kits and making their way out and to the hill just as quick as they grabbed them, Ronnie's first emotion was pure, undiluted fear. She was no Apollo healer, with a cool and logical way of assessing an unexplained tragedy and deciding what could be done -- she heard the words bodies, injuries, blood, death, thrown around easily by her siblings, and when a first aid kit she wasn't sure she could utilize was shoved into her hands, Ronnie ran.

Fast as her legs would carry her, through the camp. One foot in front of the other, it was a wonder she didn't find some hole in the ground to trip on, some stone to bring her down. Miraculously, she reached the hill without so much as one incident, and then, despite the burn in her throat and lungs which urged her to slow down, to stop, she pushed on through -- the kit grasped with white knuckled hands, her expression a mixture of horror and panic that could be read by just about anyone. Her worst fear, always, that this would be some terrible repeat of the events that transpired so long ago.

That the bodies on the hill would bear resemblence to friends. To family. To people who she cared about.

Ronnie came to a screeching stop near the first pool of blood, still glistening in the early morning light. Her stomach did a sickening flop, her eyes scanning the bodies, some barely moving, some not at all. They landed on June, Nick, Aaliyah, the people near them who were doing all they could to help the fallen -- for a split second, she was clueless, just like she had been back at the infirmary. It was when she was beginning to gather herself to help these strangers and make her way through the blood stained grass that kept twisting and turning that she saw him.

Her heart skipped a beat. And then, with a strangled cry of Athan, Ronnie hesitated no more -- surging across the grass until she came to another skidding halt, this time falling hard to her knees. Her first instinct was to cling to him, always, but the blood around him and the wounds across his visible skin made her blanch and her hands, still holding tight to the box that she now felt would get use, too much use, shake violently. "Oh my gods..." That was it for worry. She forced herself into adopting the persona that many of her siblings did in a crisis -- they didn't indulge in fear or worry. They helped, best they could, and remained calm. She could do that. She could do that. "Can you move?"

everyone else: help the wounded!!! tend to everyone!!!!!!! ronnie: ok but is my boyfriend ok

She had to fill her lungs. That was the first thing she knew, when she came to -- it was essential to draw breath.

It was when she did that the pain hit.

Rushing through her veins like fire, Kalina spluttered and choked on that first inhalation, eyes fluttering as she coughed, rolling to her side. A tense few moments passed where she felt that there was every possibility that she wouldn't draw the breath she so desperately needed, and that the pain would wash through her in one final wave and bring back the darkness that was still threatening the edges of her vision.

She could die.

Defiant, Kalina managed to pull in one deep breath, which in turn gave her what she needed to be able to at the very least, focus her vision on the tree in her direct line of sight. If she wasn't still light-headed, near delirious from the unfaltering burn, she'd have laughed.

Was she going to die in the same place as before? Did the Gods have that much of a sense of humor, to let this be where her second death occurred?

No.

Every part of her body screamed in protest, but Kalina fought against. "Help..." she croaked out, her throat dry, straining her neck on the blood stained grass -- was that hers? -- and faltering, when she realized that this was far from before, help already having arrived to tend to many bodies littering the hill.

What had happened?

im double posting out of fear of my code screwing up bc i just fixed it

Faye McJean| Faye, like several Athenians, did not enjoy the presence of many people. She had been able to keep a calm exterior when she was the only one attending the wounded and dying, but now that there were about half a dozen volunteers, she was growing restless. Ashton had returned, stretchers undoubtedly were on the way. She was filled with hope, but also curiosity. What happened to these people?

She recognized all of the new volunteers, and saw that most were doing well, except for this one son of Dionysus who seemed on the verge of vomiting. Faye didn't have time to play babysitter on top of nurse. "Stretchers are on the way!" She exhaled, pulling her hair up into a bun. "We will need volunteers to carry them back to the infirmary!" the demigod called over her shoulder, hopefully loud enough for the other volunteers to hear.

Faye watched as Ronnie Loric bounded up the hill, and her heart instantly sank. She knew what face the girl would find in the mess, and she did not want to watch it happen. A sudden gasp caught her attention as Faye turned her attention to her next case. When she saw the girl's face, she thought she was seeing a ghost. "K-kalina?" Faye sputtered. She had attended her funeral. She had set flowers on her grave.

Well, she wasn't going to let her die a second time.

(do we think we will be transitioning to the infirmary after the stretchers arrive?)

Aaliyah could hear voices. They were getting help, and she was pretty sure she would've cried out in joy if she wasn't in so much pain. Someone said to stay down. She wanted to get up so badly to at a least see if she had broken any bones. The wait for help felt like hours instead of minutes. All she could think about was how did she even get like this? All she could remember was going off campus to visit her family, and after that it was all a big blank. It didn't make sense. She was a daughter of Athena, she was supposed to remember stuff. She was trying to rack her brain for information on first aid, but in the state she was in all she could think about was the pain. She could barely see her half-sister, Faye, walk around, checking to make sure everyone was still alive. She'd never talked to these people before, she'd seen them around camp but that was about it. How'd they all get like this? They were great fighters, was it a monster? Or something human that did this to them? It didn't make sense how they got back here though. Her brain hurt too much to think hard enough about it.

Aaliyah could hear the rapid footsteps of other people arrive. She breathed a sigh of relief then. She didn't know how many of them there were, but they all seemed to be in as bad shape as her. She could rely on her hearing because her left eye was practically swollen shut, and she heard a thump! as someone (Ashton) sat down on the ground. The other girl laid a hand on her chest, and she couldn't have been more thankful for the comforting gesture. She listened to her words before asking hesitantly, "Are you sure about that?" She felt like she was going to pass out or die any minute now. She wasnt ready to welcome death just yet. She had so much in her life she still wanted to do. She didn't even get to say goodbye to her siblings. She couldn't help but she'd a tear at the thought of it as she kept thinking about the girl's words.

Elijah had been walking back to his cabin when he heard the call. Code red on Half Blood Hill. What even was a code red? Looked like he'd have to find out. He raced up the hill to find bodies and blood decorating the hill. He wasn't a fan of blood, and he felt like he was going to be sick. He could see the other people that were already starting to help. What help could they do when they didn't have that much medical supplies with them? He squinted to see the Apollo campers running up the hill like he had done moment ago. He didn't want to stand there like an idiot so Elijah made his way through the bodies to a boy (Jasper) that looked about his age. He tried not to step on any limbs to make thing worse before reaching. He didn't even know what to say or do. The pool of blood only seem to be getting bigger.

He quickly tore a small piece of cloth from his shirt to wipe the boy's face. "Don't worry. You're going to be alright."Hopefully, He thought silently to himself. He wasn't going to say that. He was going to make sure as many people here lived. What could've possibly caused all this and then had the audacity to bring the bodies back? It was like the monster wanted to brag that he was deadly. "What happened?" He knew now probably wasn't the best time to ask that, but he couldn't help it. That was Elijah for you.

Orders were being given all around her, and it was only as she inhaled more and more much needed oxygen that Kalina was able to listen in -- barely. Her heart hammered and seemed to thrum loudly in her ears, but she could make out some of what was being said, talk of help, stretchers, the infirmary.

How many of these fellow campers laying in pools of their own blood were going to make it to the infirmary alive, that was the real question. She was desperate to know how everyone else was doing, as soon as she realized the magnitude of the event, but she remained entirely clueless. All she knew -- and maybe, it was a terrible thought to have -- was that if this were the end for some, it was not going to be the end for her. Half blood hill was not going to be where she spent her last minutes, and it was this determination to survive that kept her breathing, inhales growing more strong each time. Strong enough, in fact, she started to try move, straining against the heavy, ever painful weight on her limbs.

How far she had come from the girl who tempted death in hopes of dying. How changed she was, fighting to live rather than die.

A very familiar voice cut through her thoughts, and Kalina's gaze searched its limited area of sight, landing on the ex-cabin leader she had seen many, many times before. "Faye," the relief in her voice was obvious -- nothing like a familiar face to put yourself at ease. The shock I'm the others voice did not go unnoticed, but Kalina decided to try explain the situation later if need be, and focus on the crisis at hand, first and foremost. "What's happening? Is everyone... Are they going to live?" the last question was quiet-- meant for their ears only.

nothing but hatred ran through james' veins. he felt little other than hatred nowadays. hatred towards everyone and everything, the time having been spent away from camp having achieved nothing more than destroying the last bit of good in his heart and allowing him to be corrupted. corrupted by the promises of getting his life back - he wanted to be at the top. he wanted to be the same person he was when he was strong and powerful, instead of being who he was now: alone and broken and weak. at first, he had managed to resist. he would've died for his brothers and sisters and fellow demigods - like he almost did two years ago - and would never have betrayed them.

but then everything changed. one morning, something snapped in his mind. he wanted to be whole again so badly that he changed sides.

but he needed to act like he hadn't. he needed to blend in. he had gotten back to camp a few hours before, although he had kept largely to himself. trying to avoid all of the people that he used to feel for: his brothers, his sisters, his (few) friends, her. he had had weeks to prepare how he was going to act, and he didn't think he was being too cocky when believing that he would be able to pull it off: he felt so little that it was almost as if everything that he did was an act, so what was this in comparison?

he watched as a girl starting running to the infirmary to get help, followed by a guy on a horse as they all bounded to help their friends. a year or two ago, he would have been one of the people leading, sprinting to try and help (or fight - any excuse to fight). now there was a void.

he knew that he couldn't wait around any longer. he moved with a group of campers, not too quick but not too slow, until he was finally surrounded by red. a very small part of him wanted to run away from the sight, but he couldn't focus on that now. he had a job to do. he ignored the pull in the bottom of his gut (the pull being an actual shred of humanity) as he looked over the bodies and their nurses, before his eyes landed on a particular ex-cabin leader leant over kalina and he was sure that he heart broke (if he still had one, that was). he stopped himself from running straight over to faye - he didn't think she had seen him yet, and he just needed a couple of seconds longer to mentally prepare himself to see her - and instead found his sister's face among the injured, hurrying to fall besides her to sit her up a little with his hand so she could cough. "june?! holy shit, it's james." he kept his brow furrowed and eyes wide, inspecting the wounds that patterned her skin. he was careful not to hurt her, but he was 'worried' that if people didn't start getting to the infirmary, someone was gonna to end up a lot worse than just hurt. "we need to get you some help. you had better not die on me, june." he tried to joke. that was something he would do, right? "i will never let you live it down if you die."

Faye McJean| When Faye first came to camp she was shy and selfish. Battles, cabin leadership, and a zombie apocalypse had transformed her into this objective driven, altruistic, level headed seventeen year old. Sometimes she didn't recognize her face in the mirror, but that was all too much to think about as she knelt down by Kalina. This girl was supposed to be dead. She had been dead.

Faye had so many questions to ask her, but she didn't dare. Kalina was not going to die (she had decided that the second she saw her) and so she could ask questions later. "Yeah, I'm here," she replied, calmer this time. "I wish I knew. I'm going to figure it out, though. You just stay still, more medics will be here soon." The demigod stood slowly, watching Kalina for a second longer. She was still there. She was alive.

A familiar voice filled her ears, causing her to spin around. James. Her mouth opened in attempt to say something, but she couldn't. Faye watched him speak to June, and she just couldn't. The gravity of the situation suddenly flooded her body, weighing down her limbs. Each of these demigods had been taken by something - someone. Something had happened to them, and whoever caused it wanted Camp Half Blood to know they did it. The question of why lingered in her mind as she went to assist the victim nearest her.

❝I have stood here before inside the pouring rain With the world turning circles running 'round my brain. I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign But it's my destiny to be the king of pain.❞

jasper lets out a small groan as he squeezes his eyes shut, trying to focus on blocking out the pain. slowly he opens his eyes, forcing a weak grin on his face. "i bet he looks like he's been through a blender"he says with a laugh. he winces as he laughs, clutching his side.

jasper snorts as he hears the brunette girl starting speaking to him. "really?"he asks with a laugh, "i feel like i could run a marathon"he tells her, a goofy smile spreading across his face. once the girl has moved on his smile slowly fades into a grimace as he once again squeezes his eyes shut. he's decided that the best thing he can do for himself is try to block out the pain and so far the only thing that's worked is closing his eyes.

feeling a piece of material on his face, jasper's eyes shoot open to see a boy hovering over him. "look, i'm fine"he mumbles, "go help someone who needs it. i'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself"he adds as he forces himself to sit up. "see?"he asks as he grits his teeth, trying his best to refrain from crying out.

he hears the boy's question but he chooses to ignore it because he's not sure he can answer. he has absolutely no idea what happened, his memory is still completely blank from before he woke up. for all he knows he could have been in a coma, it would certainly make sense.

❝I've become so numb, I can't feel you there Become so tired, so much more aware By becoming this all I want to do Is be more like me and be less like you❞

samuel is making his way back from the forges when a boy runs past him yelling something about a code red. immediately he freezes in his spot as he tries to remember what a code red means from his cabin leader training. despite not coming up with an answer, he knows enough to know that it's serious. so without any further thinking samuel turns and takes off running towards the hill.

once he reaches the top, he halts in his tracks as he takes the time to survey the scene around him. he takes a huge gulp as he looks over the mass amount of bodies laying in the grass, it looks like a scene in an apocalypse movie. fortunately, everyone seems to be alive.

he's just getting ready to approach one of the boys on the ground when he turns his head, his eyes landing on a familiar brunette. kalina. eyes wide he quickly rushes to her side, "i've got this"he tells the girl standing over her as he kneels down next to her. "kalina"he whispers as he reaches out to take her hand, squeezing it in his own. "where does it hurt?"he asks quietly. if he can figure out the best way to hold her, he's not going to wait for a stretcher.

samuel is still in shock from the entire event that he doesn't even have time to process the fact that kalina shouldn't be there. she died, but now she's suddenly alive. things like that just don't happen. something darker must be at play, but unfortunately for samuel he has no clue.

ooc: oops vina, i sort of went out of chronological order with our other topic but i couldn't resist

The moment June heard her brother's voice she began letting the long pent up sobs escape her. She didn't cry tears, she was likely dehydrated, or perhaps her body was going into shock, but she wailed. "James! James please don't leave. Everyone keeps leaving." June couldn't see his face as her vision wavered between complete darkness and fuzzy haze, but she felt safe knowing her brother was looking over her. She felt the mutual pining between James and Faye, even in her current state, and sighed as heavily as she could without throwing herself into another coughing fit. "Glad you're back.." June forced out. "..You have my permission to use treating me as a good guy angle."June closed her eyes, tired of not being able to use her vision, and tried to force the pain she was feeling out of her mind. As a child of Ares, June had an abnormally high pain tolerance, yet she still felt like every inch of her body had been set on fire. She twitched slightly, then cried out as the movement sent stabbing pain up her chest. "Listen, I need some real medical attention here, James." June was angry. She knew there were other bodies. She knew no one understood what was going on. But she was in pain. She was dying."I'm totally tough, James. This is nothing! But honestly, I'm pretty sure.. I'm dying."

coded by sapphire

my eyes are black and red

IM CRAWLING BACK TO YOU BABE

Ashton smiled a sad, pitiful smile at Aaliyah as she nodded slowly. Realizing the girl probably couldn't see her, Ashton spoke up. "Oh, positive. Hades perk. Dad doesn't want you yet." Ashton chuckled before dropping her smile and crouching back next to the girl. "Really, please just hold on a couple more minutes and we'll have you down to the infirmary and healed. I promise to you." Ashton wiped the girl's forehead, clearing it of hair, dirt, and blood (possibly the girl's own, possibly that of another, there was too much to tell). Ashton paced for a minute before she spotted the gurney's emerging over the side of the hill. Tension drained from her limbs and she kicked into action. Her survival instincts were strong and although she had never had experience with a situation like this before, Ashton's body seemed to move autonomous from her still-in-shock mind. She grabbed for gurneys and wheeled them to those aiding the injured campers. She legs shook as she waded through the blood. It began covering her, soaking through her shoes even. She ignored it. She also ignored the aching tug in her gut, the instinct that told her to stop being so confident and listen to her intuition. Something was seriously wrong, though her immediate attention pointed to the injured campers on the hill, she didn't even stop to consider this could be something more. She turned to the injured in her immediate vicinity (Aaliyah and Nick) and swallowed deeply. Someone was tending to the boy so she made up her mind to stay with Aaliyah. "Stay with us, guys."

But when someone (Drake) started shaking him, it was all he could to groan, nearly sputtering when some cloth rubbed against his face. He heard him alright, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to answer. If he could answer. His eyes were half-open now, seeing clearer than he had before.

"I..." he trailed off in a cough, the metallic taste of blood in his throat. "I don't... know..."

Nick made out the fuzzy outline of a boy he hadn't ever seen before in his whole life. Had Social Services finally caught up to him? Was he in a juvenile facility? He squinted at the boy, unable to place him.

"Who... are... you?"

~*~*~

Camp. This was camp. Which was surprising, since the most recent memory Jonathan could dig up was going to visit his mother. How did he end up back here? In this state? But that was the least of his worries. He had to see Ronnie. What if she was one of these bodies? What if she was...?

And that alone spurred him to get up once again, ignoring Alayna and Faye's advice to stay put. He bit his tongue so hard it drew blood, concentrating on that so he wouldn't think of the searing pain inside his chest - maybe a bruised rib who knew how he got. Each breath ached. Each movement stung. And despite it all, Jonathan forced himself into a half-sitting position, elbows digging into the bloodied dirt, hands grasping the grass so tightly they could have been his lifeline.

Then he heard it - her voice rising above the din, a strangled cry that wrapped around his own name.

"Ronnie...?"

And lo she was there beside him, on her knees, and Jonathan had to blink before he could be sure. He scanned her face, her body... A splatter of blood on her knees, but that was from the bloodstained grass. She bore no injuries, and for that he felt like laughing, he felt like hugging her, because Veronica Loric was okay and there was nothing more he could have asked for.

But Jonathan strained to move, he could barely reach her hand, the one that clutched a first-aid kit. When he grinned, his teeth shone white against his cut lips.

"I'm fine, Ronnie. I'm okay now."

~*~*~

He'd left his horse patiently waiting in the infirmary. Now he was pushing a gurney uphill along with a few others. Charles hoped they had enough - he hadn't done a count of the injured, having been too distracted by the gory sight.

Scanning the area, he saw that all the bodies had at least one person tending to them, which was good, and they all seemed pretty alive. He pushed the gurney towards a pair he didn't recognize. A healer came with him, presumably to check on the boy's vitals before loading him up the stretcher.

Charles smiled at the girl (Ciri) and turned to the boy (Trevinter), forcing down the bile rising to the back of his throat. "Hey. You're gonna be alright, okay?"

The healer went to work, checking the boy's pulse and asking him where it hurt, if he could move, all the other usual first aid questions Charles supposed. Charles' gaze shifted to the blonde girl. "We're gonna get your friend up the gurney in a bit," he assured her. "He'll be fine."

[[ @moon: yes we doyo guys start doing first aid or have npc apollo kids do it. and start loading people on the stretchers before they all die xD ]]

"Course you will," she murmured as the other knelt, grateful for her presence and completely assured of the fact. If anyone would work out what was going on and why, it would be someone from the Athena cabin; and her experience of the other girl in previous meetings had her under the impression that Faye was likely going to be that someone. "No worries. M'not going anywhere," the dry humor of the statement was for Faye only, and it only took her turning her back for Kalina to try struggle to her feet.

Fire ran through her veins before she could even make a real effort, causing her to gasp in pain and fall back the inch she'd managed to rise, eyes squeezed shut. When she opened them back up, it was to Faye's presence having been replaced --

"Samuel," she breathed, her surprise far from unpleasant. Without hesitation, she gritted her teeth against the stiff pain, and searched for his hand -- grasping it weakly with her own as her eyes drank in his face. She was all too concious (maybe more so than him, at the present moment), of how much time had passed since they'd seen each other; and what had happened in all of that time. There was going to be explaining to do... she wanted to explain right that second, but the words caught in her throat and she couldn't for the life left in her manage to spit them out. It would have to wait. Blinking, the question he asked nearly missed completely, Kalina gave the tiniest jerk of her head -- the closest to a shake she could manage. "M'okay," her reply, she knew, was not the answer he had been looking for; but she didn't think that 'everywhere' would have helped much, either.